A powerful Christmas message in performance poetry

I'm in the Wisconsin Writers Association, and we have our share of poets among us. One of my best friends in the organization is LaMoine MacLaughlin, our former board president who has published several poetry books. Still, I admit I seldom read poetry, and I would never consider myself a poet. I've written a few poems. I bounced several off a former Wisconsin poet laureate, who told me he thought they were fine poems “in progress,” that they're not yet finished.

Another friend recently sent me a link to a youtube video, “My Christmas Eve,” by Bob Welsh, a storyteller, poet and public speaker. In this video performance, Welsh recounts his experience as an Ohio state trooper and the disconcerting responsibility of delivering devastating news to families, even on Christmas Eve.

Check it out. I think you'll find watching this four-minute video time well spent this Christmas Eve. I might consider myself a writer, but I'd be foolish to think I could craft a more powerful message to share with my readers on this holiday.

Merry Christmas.

Greg Peck can be reached at (608) 755-8278 or gpeck@gazettextra.com. Or follow him on Twitter or Facebook.

Greg Peck can be reached at (608) 755-8278 or gpeck@gazettextra.com. Or follow him on Twitter or Facebook.